D E A T H V A L L E Y | G E M I N I D M E T E O R S H O W E R
RACETRACK PLAYA | DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK | CALIFORNIA
DECEMBER 11th - 14th, 2026
CLASS LIMIT: 2 OF 6 SPOTS OPEN!
INVESTMENT: $2,550/ $2,150 (ALUMNI)
ABOUT THIS WORKSHOP
Death Valley is a recognized International Dark Sky Park located in the remote area of eastern California about 100 miles west of Las Vegas, NV. We will enjoy 4 days and 3 nights with amazing landscapes and night sky photo ops. This workshop is based around the annual Geminid Meteor Shower. It is the best meteor shower by far, and I have done the Geminids in Death Valley four times out of the 16 workshop that I have conducted here over the last 11 years.
The Geminids often produce large fireballs and meteor rates exceed 170 meteors per hour. We shoot from a variety of locations at night within depth discussions on composition, light painting, post processing your images and much more. We WILL BE at the Racetrack Playa one night as well! The moon will be near the "NEW" phase which will give us extremely dark skies the entire night! This meteor shower is best viewed after midnight, but meteors will be flying around the sky just after 8pm! Hope to see you there, it will be a great way to send 2026 out with a huge bang! We will meet mid-morning on the 11th, and then wrap things up after our final sunrise shoot on the 14th of December, 2026!
GEMINID METEOR AND ORION | 2020Barnard’s loop, the rosette nebula, the witches head nebula, running man and m42, and the horse head with a Geminid Meteor. December 13th, 2020
There are so many amazing places in Death Valley to photograph at night, and during the day. We will certainly take full advantage of them while we are there. In addition to the night sky photography, we will also be out to capture the amazing alien-like landscapes that exist throughout the park during sunset and sunrise! We will also venture out to the Racetrack Playa one night for an overnight shoot with the Geminids! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to get some very unique shots at one of the United States most mysterious locations!
GEMINID OVER CALIFORNIA | DECEMBER 2021
WORKSHOP INCLUDES
- How to create compelling compositions
- Commercial Permit Fees
- Geminid meteor shower observation and photography at the Racetrack
- 4x4 Transportation to the Racetrack ( one lucky person will get to drive the 2nd Jeep out there!)
- Milky Way , star trail and light painting photography
- Several shooting locations, each night will have different locations including the Racetrack Playa
- Some locations are Zabriskie Point, Badwater Basin, Dantes View, Mudcracks, Devils Golf Course, Artist Drive and more
- How to plan your shot and where to look for the Milky Way throughout the year
- Understanding, shutter speed, f/stop, ISO, white balance and other custom settings in your camera for night sky photography
- How to illuminate a scene for timelapse photography and how to focus at night + focus stacking
- In additional to our night sky photography we will also be capturing the sweet light at sunrises and sunsets
- FREE Video Tutorials on post processing, panoramas, star trails and timelapse photography
- 2 FREE Breakfasts buffets
DAWN OVER DEATH VALLEY
WEATHER
Death Valley is the driest place in the US, but winter months bring some of the only rain of the year. Conditions are usually always clear and warm during the day and cooler at night 70f /55f. The winter season also seems to offer the best sunsets and sunrises compared to other times of the year from my experiences.
BADWATER AT DAWN
LODGING
There are a few options for sleeping arrangements. There are a couple of places in Furnace Creek Resort and a few rooms in Stovepipe wells for you to enjoy. If you wish to camp there are plenty of campsites at Furnace Creek and some rustic sites at Stovepipe wells. If you like to camp, I would prefer Furnace Creek Campground around $22/night. Stovepipe Wells camping is $13/night, but Furnace Creek has some shade sites. I will most likely be camping myself. It is one of my favorite campgrounds in the US! Please make your reservations well in advance. For the Racetrack Portion, we will be out shooting most of the night.
DEATH VALLEY MOON
FLYING IN | WHERE TO GO
If you will be flying in for this workshop the best airport is Las Vegas, NV. Death Valley is a quick 1hr 45min drive west from Vegas. The drive is very scenic and offers great view the entire way there.
DESERT FIRE
PLANETARY ALIGNMENT AT THE RACETRACK PLAYA| DECEMBER 2021
CAMERA GEAR
A full list of camera gear will be supplied to upon registering, the basics are a DSLR camera, wide angle lens, a tripod and a cable release. Please check out the "Workshop Overview" page for more information on gear.
DEPOSIT
A non-refundable deposit must be paid in full or partial to reserve your spot on this tour. If you are a JBP Alumni you receive 20% OFF the ticket price. If for some reason you need to cancel, you will be credited that amount towards any future workshop with us. Cash refunds cannot be made once your payment has been accepted.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Jeff Berkes Photography reserves the right to make changes to the schedule, dates if need be. We are not responsible for bad weather, delays or cancellations. We are also not responsible for lost or stolen items, injuries, sickness, death or damages to personal equipment and lost of personal travel expense. Failure to comply to park rules, regulations and will result in you being ejected from the workshop.
RACETRACK PLAYA FIREBALL METEOR
This workshop does not include travel to, from and during the workshop, meals or overnight accommodations.
MAKE YOUR DEPOSIT OR FULL PAYMENT BELOW
| Death Valley Geminids 2026 |
For more information or to register please contacts us here at [email protected]
